The 49ers agreed to terms with Hightower early in free agency. GM John Lynch revealed the move on Twitter by noting that "We got better this week with Tim." Hightower rushed 133 times for 548 yards with four touchdowns for New Orleans last year. He also caught 22 passes for 200 yards and another touchdown. During his time with the Saints, he flashed the ability to carry the load by filling in for Mark Ingram as the lead back. This season he'll work behind Carlos Hyde -- hardly a paragon of health during his time in San Francisco -- and alongside rookie Joe Williams. Hightower certainly figures to take some snaps -- particularly on passing downs -- as Williams only caught nine passes during his senior season, and Hyde has never been much of a receiving threat. However, Hightower has never been a premier starting running back and at the age of 31 he is certainly not the team's long-term answer. This is exactly why the team drafted Williams.

Tim Hightower 2016 Outlook

Hightower, 29, has had a difficult path in the NFL and was out of football for several years after tearing his ACL in 2011. Hightower didn't play a game for four years and signed a futures contract with the Saints in January of 2015, presumably as a camp body and a long shot to make the team. The Saints had just invested a significant amount of money in running back Mark Ingram, acquired free agent C.J. Spiller and also had a talented backup in Khiry Robinson. He was cut twice by the Saints before finally being re-signed in the middle of the year as a replacement for the injured Khiry Robinson. Hightower wound up playing in eight games for New Orleans in 2015, rushing for 375 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 129 yards. That seemed to be enough for the Saints to allow Robinson, who eventually signed with the Jets, to go elsewhere. It also earned Hightower a new one-year contract in April.